Favoritism and Nepotism in the management of state affairs during the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphate

Abstract

Abstract

In this research we discussed the adoption of favoritism and nepotism by some of the Rightly Guided Caliphs in managing the state affairs (11–41 AH / 633–663 AD). We looked into the processes by which governors, officials, and military leaders were appointed and evaluated to what degree favouritism and nepotism influenced the appointment of these positions. There is a distinction among the caliphs in their degree of reliance on such practices. During the caliphate of Abu Bakr, most appointments went to people from the Quraysh tribe and the Muhajireen while other tribes, including the Ansar, were largely marginalized. This persistently remained the case under Caliph Umar as well, where the Umayyads began their slow infiltration into the state structure, despite a small number of non-Qurayshi Companions holding positions. By the time of Caliph Othman, this had sharpened even further, with greater personal proximity to the Caliph becoming the main criterion for appointment, often bypassing competence entirely.

In the case of Imam Ali and Imam al-Hasan’s caliphates, there was a clear effort to restore a more civilized way of governance by filling positions with the right qualified, moral, and honest people. The Prophet (peace and blessings upon him and his family) established clear standards for selecting individuals for positions of authority to address the problems of bias and favouritism in appointments. This is especially important as adhering to these standards ensures that only those who possess the necessary competence, experience, and commitment to the work are chosen, positively influencing the quality of service delivered to the community. It was imperative that the Companions adhere to this exemplary approach in administering the state. However, the opposite happened with some of the Companions who assumed the caliphate, as the foundations and standards that the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family) had set for appointing governors and workers over countries and cities changed, and the degree of kinship, loyalty, and social prestige became the basic criteria for selection in some cases, especially since some of the caliphs were from small clans within a large tribe, so they needed these people to strengthen their political position. Nonetheless, this does not imply that the selection criteria lacked a certain level of bravery, skill, and faith; instead, these qualities were evident, albeit with an emphasis on factors like kinship and loyalty.